Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-09

approach the study Of the actual statistics.
The United States CELSIUS for 1880 gives
the total assessment Of real estate ard
personal property, as determined in the
several states of the Union, 81 Sic, 902,-
993, 54S (nearly Si7, 1000, 900, 000), of which
Sl3, 036, 766,925 stands for real estate,
distributed in such 8 manner that one
half OF the amount is assessed in New
England and the Middle states Cabout
6,7l4, GOO, OO0). "Real estate" of
course, includes land and i'm
prOvements. The United States cen
sus does not give the items for land
alone, but the state Of Massachusetts
publishes the aggregate of property and
| taxes showing the separate items, Gland
exclusive Of buildingSn and "buildings
exclusive OF land" The former item
lland) is $751;, S24 ,G72; the latter build
lngs) is S752, G69, 00l, land being to build
ings nearly A TO So. This ratio may be
assumed to hold good for the entire east
ern and middle sections of the country,
giving $500, 100000 for buildings and
s., 948, 000,0 600 for ground. In the south
err section it may be assumed that the
ratio is reversed, and that the 81 ,G7l,-
600, COO of real estate assessed there rep
resents SG7l, Geo. 900 as value OF build
ings and 5l,0OO,O0O, 900 as value
Of land. In the Western states
and territories, likewise, the total OF
81 ga GOA, 600 OF real estate may repre-
sent at least S2,O0O,O0O,0 900 IS value of
buildings and not more than 50, GA ,O0O,-
600 as value of land. This Will give a
grand total Of Sc 100000 for build
iuGs and 81, 592 900, 900 for building sites
and agricultural land. The rate of as
sessment for taxes is usually fixed 81
tWO-thirds of the market value. Allow
ing for this the actual value Of ail land in
the United States owned Gs private prop
erty must have been somewhst less than
ten billions $4,000, 00O, 0QO) for the year
1850. Counting the rent on this land ST
per cent. we have less than $500, 0O0 600
per annum, making GH average Of nearly
IS for each inhabitant, o. little more
than cents 9 day.
The result surprises Us. Two cents
per day, or SIS per year, added to their
income would not bring ease and luxury
TO those who are struggling with poverty.
Nor would il amount to q vast revenue in
the aggregate as tax. -Four per cent
and it is fair TO estimate the return Of |
rent as under this figure, because, when |
land yields more than this amount in |
ISulj luE NAluALlUu Is III once TSlSSO- /
would give the government only 500, O00- |
O0O,ea sum only Slightly iuexcess OF the
amount annually paid for local taxes
state, county, township and DISTRICT, |
while the total of taxation, national and |
local, amounts to nearly $500, 600. To !
pay ell taxes, both national and local, |
ground rent would have to be increased |
to j per cent.
To understand the bearings Of this, it |
i5 necessary to consider the actual annual |
income Of tee total population. The in
come is estimated by Mr. Edward At
kinson, in his "Distrioution Of Pro
ducts" at the round sum Of $40, O00, 00O,-
900. Mr.. MuIhall estimates the total |
productions of the United States at H.
APO, 100000 sterling, OF about $780, !
10000 The items used for these esti-
mates are given by Mr.. Joseph Nimmo,
chief of the National Bureau Of Statistics |
for the year 1884, in letter to Mr.. Al
kinsOn, as follows: